


I Was Born To Take Care Of You

by DonnieTheFu



Series: Little Freddie [5]
Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Doctors & Physicians, Embarrassment, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, Feels, Fever, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, Medical, Medical Examination, Medication, Medicine, Nausea, Needles, Parenthood, Sick Character, Sickfic, Suppositories, Suppository, Temperature, Temperature-Taking, Vomiting, injection, sick, suppository insertion, thermometer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:00:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27386089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DonnieTheFu/pseuds/DonnieTheFu
Summary: Chapter 1. Stomach Flu - With the help of Brian, Roger, and John, Freddie overcomes one of his greatest fears to take care of his very sick eight-year-old son.Chapter 2. Urinary Tract Infection
Relationships: John Deacon & Brian May & Freddie Mercury & Roger Taylor, Mary Austin & Freddie Mercury
Series: Little Freddie [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1526273
Comments: 12
Kudos: 12





	1. Stomach Flu

**Author's Note:**

> *Please read all the tags first - I don't want anybody to be squicked out/be triggered/cringe/die of second-hand embarrassment*
> 
> I would really appreciate no criticism (constructive or otherwise), or negativity in the comments section, please. This is just my hobby that I do for fun. Thank you! :)
> 
> ***DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Any semblance between original characters and real persons, living or dead, is coincidental. The author in no way represents the companies, corporations, or brands mentioned in this work. The likeness of historical/famous figures have been used fictitiously; the author does not speak for or represent these people. All opinions expressed in this work are the author’s, or fictional.***

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the help of Brian, Roger, and John, Freddie overcomes one of his greatest fears to take care of his very sick eight-year-old son.
> 
> This is just a little idea for a one-shot that came to me while I'm still working on my other story in this series - The Sons of Queen. I hope you enjoy it. :)

**December 1982 - Kensington, London, England**

Freddie once again found himself sat in the one place he didn't want to be - a doctor's surgery (office) - this time not for himself, but a very sick 8-year-old Little Freddie, who'd already bravely but tearfully endured a painful blood test, and was now stood in front of him, hugging tightly to his neck. Freddie wrapped his arms around him, holding him close and rubbing his back, as Little Freddie sobbed against him, while Dr. Patel lowered his jeans and boxer shorts and swiped a cotton ball soaked in alcohol over the top part of his left glute, close to his hip.

"Alright, Freddie, I want you to count to three for me, okay?" Dr. Patel told him gently. "One...Two...Three…" she counted as she injected the stinging medication into the muscle and Little Freddie cried. "There now. That's it. All done." She placed a cotton ball and the He-Man and The Masters Of The Universe plaster (Band-Aid) that Little Freddie had picked out, over the site, then pulled his trousers back up. "Oh, what a brave boy you are! Would you like to pick out another prize from my treasure chest?" she asked.

Little Freddie nodded his head, wiping tears from his eyes. He went over to the treasure chest and selected a little toy truck to go along with the aeroplane he'd gotten for being so brave during his blood test, then came back over to cuddle in Freddie's lap, clearly not feeling well at all.

*******

Little Freddie had been fine when he'd come home from school yesterday afternoon - Friday. It was the last day of school before the Christmas holiday break began. Mary had just left with two-year-old Kashmira and a group of her girlfriends and their daughters for a week long mother-daughter retreat, so Freddie and Little Freddie would be by themselves for a whole week - and they were both really looking forward to spending time together, just the two of them.

But then in the middle of the night Little Freddie had come to him.

"Daddy, my tummy hurts," he'd told him. His eyes were glassy with tears, and when Freddie kissed his forehead, he felt really warm. So Freddie put him in bed with him, and went into the bathroom to find the thermometer. He came back and shook it down, then placed it under Little Freddie's arm. He wasn't even sure how long you were supposed to do this. _Probably like 5 minutes or something like that_ , he decided. After the five minutes had passed, he took the thermometer and held it up to the light. If he was reading it right, it looked like the thermometer read 39.5°C (103.1°F). _But then wasn't there something about adding 0.5 degrees if you were measuring the temperature under the arm?_ If that were the case, then Little Freddie's temperature was actually closer to 40.0°C (104°F). So Freddie had gone back into the bathroom and immediately gotten the Calpol. He measured the dose precisely, sucking it up into the little syringe with the purple plunger. This he brought back to Little Freddie and squirted into his mouth. Afterwards he took the thermometer and Calpol back into the bathroom, rinsing out the little syringe beneath the tap before replacing it in the box with the medicine, and hoping that had done the trick. 

But five minutes later, Little Freddie had thrown up for the first time. And he'd gotten sick twice more after that. And that's when Freddie really started to worry. Being away on tour and working in the studio, he had thus far been spared from much of his children's illnesses, and hadn't had to deal with much more than a slight cough or a runny nose when taking care of them, and certainly never anything like this. Calpol, aka "the heroin of childhood" as some people called it, had always been his go-to for any sort of ailment just like many other parents, turning their sweet children into little addicts that would oftentimes feign illness just to get a taste of the medicine's sugary flavor of strawberry sweets. _Headache? Calpol. Sore throat? Calpol. Tummy ache? Calpol. Mosquito bite? Calpol. Can't sleep? Calpol._ But this time the Calpol didn't seem to be working and he didn't know what to do.

Freddie sat beside Little Freddie, wiping his face with a damp cloth and as soon as was reasonable, he called Mary at the hotel where they were staying to inform her of the situation. Unfortunately, she and the others had begun their day early and had already left the hotel and would not be returning until sometime later in the evening. So Freddie left a message for her with the hotel's front desk, then did the next best thing - called up Brian, Roger, and John.

"Have you called Mary?" Brian asked right away.

And Freddie explained about Mary being away with Kashmira on the mother-daughter retreat, but that he'd left a message with the hotel's front desk for her to call him as soon as she returned.

"Have you measured his temperature?" Brian asked.

"Yes, it was 39.5°C (103.1°F) under his arm," Freddie reported. 

"But then you add 0.5 degrees to that," Roger said, confirming what Freddie had thought earlier. "So really it's about 40.0°C (104°F)."

"Have you tried giving him some Calpol?" John asked.

"Yes, but he threw up after five minutes," Freddie said.

"And has he gotten sick anymore since then?" Brian asked.

"Yes, he's gotten sick twice more," Freddie told him. Then he went out into the hallway. "What if it's something really serious? Like appendicitis or something?" he asked, and they could all hear the worry and concern in his voice.

"It really doesn't sound like appendicitis to me, Freddie," Brian told him reassuringly. "If that were the case, I think he'd be in a lot more pain. [It sounds to me like he might have a touch of what you had back in New York a few months ago.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20858045)"

_Freddie hoped not. That was the sickest he had been in a very long time. Still, that would be much better than appendicitis._

"But just to play it safe, it would probably be best to get him in to the paediatrician, so they can check him out," Brian said. "But even if it is appendicitis, Freddie, I'm sure you've caught it very early."

Then they rang off with Freddie promising to phone with an update as soon as they returned from the paediatrician.

*******

So straightway Freddie had Phoebe call Little Freddie's paediatrician (thank God Phoebe kept up with things like that for him, for cases just such as these when Mary wasn't around), and thankfully they were open to see sick children on Saturdays, and arranged to see Little Freddie right away. Then he helped Little Freddie get dressed, and it was off to the paediatric surgery of Doctors Patel, Khan, Ali, and Rodriguez. 

Dr. Patel was Little Freddie's paediatrician, a very nice young woman whose family had immigrated to England from Gujarat in India, the same place Freddie's parents were from. Freddie thought her the nicest doctor he had ever met, apart from his own G.P., Dr. Gordon Atkinson, and she'd put him instantly at ease with her pleasant smile assuring him that she would take good care of Little Freddie and find out what was going on. 

She had Little Freddie lie back on the examination table and lift up his shirt. Then she asked him about the pain in his tummy and some other questions while she gently but firmly pressed on his belly. And Freddie breathed a sigh of relief when she told him that she didn't think it was anything so serious as appendicitis as Little Freddie didn't have any pain or tenderness upon examination, but that she'd like to do some bloodwork to try and determine if Little Freddie had an infection and if so, whether it was bacterial or viral, as that would determine what sort of treatment he needed, and whether he would need antibiotics or not. They did the blood test while Little Freddie sat on Freddie's knee, and was rewarded with a little toy aeroplane for his bravery. The blood sample was rushed off to the lab, and when it came back, it was more good news. Taking into consideration Little Freddie's symptoms and the bloodwork results, Dr. Patel determined that he was suffering from a common viral infection - gastroenteritis - otherwise known as the stomach flu.

But despite the good news, she said Little Freddie was still a very sick little boy. High fever and vomiting was especially cause for concern in young children as their little bodies became dehydrated much more quickly than adults, and she explained as gently as possible that Little Freddie would need to get a shot in his bottom to help him stop vomiting so that he could feel better. But as nicely as she tried to say it, a shot in the arse was enough to break any man, and that's when Little Freddie really started crying. But after much persuasion, and comforting and consoling him as best they could, together Dr. Patel and Freddie had gotten him to turn around and bend over, hugging tightly to Freddie's neck, and she'd administered the injection.

But the worst was still yet to come. As Freddie cuddled Little Freddie in his lap after the injection, Dr. Patel turned to him.

"I'm also going to prescribe Freddie some suppositories for his fever and nausea," she said casually.

Freddie knew it had been coming of course, because it was the exact same thing the doctor had prescribed for him when he'd fallen ill in New York. But when she'd said that word - the dreaded "s" word, as it were, it sounded to Freddie as if she were speaking to him in slow motion. 

"SUP-POS-I-TOR-IES," her voice said like the voice of some monster, and Freddie felt that familiar dread sensation - his heart beginning to beat faster in his chest, and damn near breaking out in a cold sweat, as if he were facing some mortal enemy. And thank God Little Freddie either wasn't paying attention or didn't understand what they were, because that was one conversation Freddie wasn't ready to have right now. Or ever. Unfortunately, Dr. Patel seemed to notice the look of horror on Freddie's face.

"Mr. Mercury, are you quite alright?" she asked. "All the colour's suddenly gone from your face."

Freddie swallowed hard. "What? Oh yeah, I'm fine, darling," he forced himself to say with what he hoped was a convincing smile.

"I know a lot of parents are intimidated at the thought of giving their child a suppository, but they're not as bad as what parents think, and suppositories really are the best thing for a child who has a high fever or vomiting. They're safe, gentle, effective, and easy and painless to administer. You just pop them in, it takes less than half a second, and they give fast relief of symptoms - they generally start working within about 15 minutes," she explained as she continued writing out the prescription. "Right, so I'm prescribing him Voltaren for fever and Phenergan for nausea and vomiting. The Voltaren should be given every 4 hours, and the Phenergan every 8 hours, alright? And make sure he gets plenty of fluids. Ice lollies (popsicles) are my favorite," she smiled at Little Freddie. "And lots of rest. And he'll be good as new in no time at all."

*******

When they got home, Freddie got Little Freddie stripped down to his boxer shorts and settled on the sofa in the sitting room with a pillow and blanket and his favourite _Star Wars_ movie playing on the telly. He wiped his face again with a damp cloth as he was still running a fever. And he sent Phoebe out to do the dirty work and get Little Freddie's prescription filled at the chemist, as well as instructions to buy some ice lollies, and electrolyte replacement drink for children.

Then he went out of Little Freddie’s hearing so that he could talk to Brian, Roger, and John.

“Awww, well I’m sorry to hear that, Freddie. Poor little chap. But at least it isn’t anything serious,” Brian said, when Freddie told them what Dr. Patel had said. “Did she give him any medicine?”

“Yes, she gave him a shot to help with the vomiting, and then she prescribed him some-” Freddie stopped, choking on the next word. He tried, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say it. “-thesamethingthedoctorgavemeinnewyork,” he blurted out quickly, pulse racing. _How was he ever possibly going to be able to do this when he couldn't even say the word for fuck's sake?_

There was silence for a moment as the others absorbed this information. Now to some people it might have sounded very silly, but Freddie’s fear was just as real as any other sort of medical fear somebody might have, be it of seeing blood, or needles, or dentists, or hospitals. And his friends were firmly there for him to see him through.

“Everything’s going to be alright, Freddie,” Brian said at last. “Being a parent can be really scary sometimes, and sometimes we have to do things we’d rather not do, in order to help our children because we love them. But we’re all here to help you.”

John cleared his throat. “You know, Freddie, sometimes we get so embarrassed about our bodies, for one reason or another, but we really shouldn’t. Each little piece of us has its own very special and important part to play, working together for the good of the whole. And that’s amazing and beautiful, and nothing at all to be embarrassed about.”

“Wow, Deacy, that was like really deep,” Roger said. _Certainly the deepest and most eloquent thing he'd ever heard said about bum holes anyway._

“And suppositories are just another way for us to get the medicine we need sometimes so we can feel better,” John went on. “The best thing to do, Freddie, is just to stay very calm, because if you're calm then that'll help him to be calm too."

"John's right," Roger said. "Just be very matter-of-fact about it and say, 'Listen, mate, Daddy's got to give you a suppository now, alright?'"

"And if he asks what that is," Brian joined in, "just tell him - it's medicine that goes in your bottom to help us feel better when we've got a fever or tummy ache. And as far as giving him the actual suppository, Freddie, it's very easy. Wash your hands with soap and water. Ask him to go to the toilet first to see if he needs a poo. Then have him lie down on his side on the sofa or wherever. Take the wrapper off. Then just push it in very gently. And it doesn't have to go in very far, Freddie. Just far enough so that it doesn't come back out again - around 2 cm which is about the length from your fingertip to the first joint. And that's it! It'll all be over in about 3 seconds. Then just hold his bum cheeks closed for a minute to make sure it doesn't come out, and have him lie still for about 15 minutes."

"But...I-I'm-I'm just afraid I'm going to hurt him," Freddie said, running a hand through his hair. "I don't want him to be scared."

"You're not going to hurt him, Freddie, I promise. You're going to help him feel better. And he may be a little scared," Brian told him honestly. "But it's like John said - if he sees you're not afraid, that'll help him to be brave, too. You can do this, Freddie. You're a great dad, and you know if need anything at all, we're only just a phone call away."

*******

Phoebe soon returned with Little Freddie's medication, and unfortunately the time had come to do what had to be done. So Freddie washed his hands, found the ones that were for fever, and put the others in the fridge. Then he blew out his breath, trying to channel his inner Brian, Roger, and John, and went in to talk to Little Freddie.

He almost hesitated, but seeing Little Freddie looking so pitiful and so sick broke his heart, and he knew he had to do it. He sat down beside him on the sofa, trying to open the child-proof container, which also seemed to be Freddie-proof.

"Right. Darling? Daddy's got to give you a-" Freddie froze for a moment. _Calm down, Freddie_ , he told himself. _You can do this. He needs you. Remember what Brian and Roger and John said - if you're calm, then he'll be calm too._

"-suppository now, alright?" he finished at last.

"What's that?" Little Freddie asked.

"It's medicine that goes in your bottom, to help us feel better when we've got a fever or tummy ache," Freddie told him.

"What?! Nooo!" Little Freddie started crying, thinking he was going to get another shot.

"I know, darling," Freddie said. _Trust me, I know._ "But it's not another jab like at the doctor's," he told him, realizing what Little Freddie was thinking. _Perhaps he should have been a bit more specific._

"It's not?" Little Freddie wiped at his eyes. He calmed down a bit hearing he wasn't going to get another shot.

"Mm-mm," Freddie told him.

"Then what is it?" Little Freddie asked.

Freddie finally got the lid off and took out one of the foil wrapped little capsules and laid it on the coffee table.

"It's sort of like a little pill, like the medicine Mummy gives you to chew up and swallow sometimes," Freddie said, thinking of the chewable tablets children were given sometimes, "except it goes in your bottom, in-in the place where-" he paused again, but only for a second, "-in the place where your poo comes out."

Little Freddie let out a little noise half way between a sob and a whimper. "But why?" he asked with a hitch in his voice, more tears already coming into his eyes. "Why can't you just swallow it?" And Freddie could tell he was starting to get nervous. _Uh-oh. He and the others hadn't gone over this question._

"Because, darling, sometimes if we've got a really bad tummy ache and we're getting sick a lot, then if we were to swallow the medicine like normal, and we got sick, then the medicine might not stay in our tummies long enough to help. So we have to take the medicine a different way - either in a jab or a suppository in our bottom," Freddie explained. "But look-" he took the capsule in his hand and showed it to Little Freddie. "They're very small, aren't they? And they don't go in very far. Just about this far." Freddie showed him with his finger. "And it won't hurt at all."

"It won't?" Little Freddie asked.

"Mm-mm," Freddie told him.

"You promise?"

"I promise," Freddie said. "It may feel a little cold and uncomfortable for a few seconds, but it won't hurt, and then it'll be all over and you can have an ice lolly, and the medicine will you make you feel so much better." Freddie gave him a kiss. He was burning up. "Alright, darling. Try and go poo first, huh? Because that'll make it easier for the medicine to work."

So Little Freddie reluctantly went off to the loo.

"Did you go poo?" Freddie asked when he came out.

Little Freddie nodded.

"Did you wash your hands?" 

Little Freddie nodded again, and that's when Freddie noticed he was crying.

"What's wrong, darling?" Freddie asked him.

"I don't want to get medicine that way," Little Freddie sobbed, "I don't want to get medicine in my bottom."

And Freddie felt his heart squeeze for him. He took Little Freddie's face in his hands, pressing his forehead against his. "I know, darling. Nobody does. But sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do so that we can get better. Just like with the jab at Dr. Patel's office, hmmm? But you were very brave and did it anyway. And compared to that, darling, this is nothing. This is nothing, alright?" Freddie gave him another kiss. "So just lie down here like this. There's that's it." He helped Little Freddie lie down on his side on the sofa, then pulled his boxer shorts down, just enough to expose his bottom.

"You promise it won't hurt?" Little Freddie asked again, still crying.

"I promise it won't hurt," Freddie reassured him as he took the wrapper off the medication. "Just close your eyes, darling, and think of something nice."

"Like what?" Little Freddie asked.

"Like all the fun we're going to have together once you're well," Freddie told him. "Alright, darling. Ready?" he asked.

Little Freddie nodded.

"Okay. One...Two...Three…" Freddie counted as he gently inserted the medication, the same way as Dr. Patel had done with the injection. 

Little Freddie gave a little gasp and cried when he first felt it go in. I didn't hurt, but it still felt awful and strange, like going poo except in reverse. But Freddie did it very quickly, and in an instant it was already over. 

"There now. That's it. All done." Freddie held Little Freddie's bum cheeks closed for a minute to ensure the medicine wouldn't come out, being very careful not to hurt the place where he'd gotten the shot earlier. "Good job, darling. Well done." Freddie gave him a kiss. "You okay?"

Little Freddie nodded his head.

"Would you like an ice lolly now, hmmm?" Freddie asked.

Little Freddie nodded his head again.

"Alright," Freddie said, giving him another kiss. "Just lie still for a bit, okay?" He took the medication with him back into the kitchen, washed his hands, and put them back in the fridge beside the others. Then he got out the box of ice lollies and went back into the sitting room with Little Freddie. He sat the box down on the coffee table, then checked one more time to make sure the medicine hadn't come out, before pulling Little Freddie's boxer shorts back up. He kissed him once more. "What flavour would you like?" Freddie asked, showing him the box of ice lollies.

Little Freddie picked out a red cherry flavoured one. Freddie tore it open for him, then went and put the rest of the ice lollies back in the freezer. When he came back, Little Freddie cuddled up close with his head lying in Freddie's lap while he sucked on his ice lolly. But an ice lolly wasn't going to cut it for Freddie, who needed something a bit stronger in his glass after all that, and he asked Phoebe to bring him a glass of Cristal, which he sipped as he watched _Star Wars_ with Little Freddie.

Thankfully the medicine began to work its magic and in only 15 minutes Little Freddie was already feeling a bit cooler, and by lunch time at 11 even felt like having a little something to eat. So Freddie brought him a variety of things to snack on that were easy on the stomach - a sliced up banana, a little plain boiled rice, some applesauce, a piece of toast, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup and water biscuits (crackers) that Phoebe had made special for him, as well as one of the children's electrolyte replacement drinks. Freddie was worried he wouldn't want to drink it, because the one Brian had insisted he drink when he was sick had been absolutely revolting. But Little Freddie didn't seem to mind the taste a bit and drank down three quarters of the bottle.

Later in the afternoon, when the medicine started wearing off Little Freddie's fever went back up and he got sick again. So about 1:00, Freddie had to give him some more medicine, and while it certainly wasn't any fun, it was slightly less traumatic this time as they both knew what to expect. There were still a few tears, however, with Little Freddie promising he wouldn't get sick again so as to avoid having to take the medication. And to make matters worse, he had to get two this time - one for fever and one for nausea. But Freddie was sure to encourage him, reminding him again that even though it didn't feel very good, it would be over quickly and it wouldn't hurt, just like last time, and praised him for a job well done with the reward of another ice lolly at the end. But the Phenergan made Little Freddie so sleepy.

"Shhh. Don't fight it, baby," Freddie told him gently, stroking his hair as Little Freddie lay with his head in his lap, crying. He was feverish, nauseous, sleepy, and just had to get two suppositories up his bum. He was absolutely miserable. "Just close your eyes and go to sleep, and you'll feel better soon." Freddie gave him a kiss and the rest of the afternoon Little Freddie spent sleeping with his head in Freddie's lap, while _Flash Gordon_ played on the telly in background (which Freddie had put on for him after the _Star Wars_ movie had gone off). And by the time Freddie had to give him some more medicine again at 5, he was old hat.

Brian and the others called to check on Little Freddie, and Freddie told them that they were both doing okay, all things considering, and thanked them again for their help.

"I really don't know what I'd do without the three of you," Freddie told them.

"Of course, Freddie," Brian told him. "We knew you could do it. And you know we're always here for you if you need us, no matter what."

After dinner Mary called from the hotel, extremely worried and wondering if she and Kashmira needed to come home. But Freddie calmed her down and told her all about it, and she was thoroughly impressed with the way Freddie had handled everything so well on his own, and she could tell that Freddie was proud of himself too. He'd always prided himself very much on not being the sort of father that shoved the children off on their mother when things got messy or tough.

Little Freddie was asleep, but Freddie woke up him gently because he knew he'd be upset if he didn't get to talk to Mary. 

"Mama!" he said in his sleepy little voice, taking the phone from Freddie. Mary spoke to him sweetly and told him she was so sorry that he was sick, but that Daddy would take good care of him, and he'd feel better soon. Then she told him that she loved him and promised to call and check on him again tomorrow, and that she and Kashmira would be home at the end of the week.

"He's a trooper," Freddie said to Mary when he took the phone back, giving Little Freddie a wink.

After Mary rang off, Freddie took Little Freddie upstairs and gave him a nice warm bath, then put him in bed with him. After giving him another dose of the medications at 9, Little Freddie promptly fell asleep, exhausted, and slept right through Freddie giving him the medication again at 1 and 5. And after that last dose at 5, Little Freddie soon began sweating profusely, and Freddie knew his fever had broken, so he took the covers off him and let him lay there in just his boxer shorts so he could get some cool air.

And in the morning about 9, Little Freddie finally opened his little eyes. "Daddy, I'm hungry," he said. So Phoebe made him a wonderful breakfast of American pancakes with chocolate chip smiley faces, because who didn't love that? And another bottle of the children's electrolyte replacement drink. Afterwards, Freddie took his temperature again while he played with his action figures in Freddie's bed (it currently looked like He-Man and The Masters Of The Universe vs. Indiana Jones), and it was completely back down to normal. Little Freddie was ready to get up and play, but Freddie insisted he stay in bed and rest for one more day, which nearly caused a temper tantrum meltdown, something that normally would have gotten Little Freddie into serious trouble and probably a spanking. But instead, Freddie put his arms around him and cuddled him close as Little Freddie sobbed into the crook of his neck. He recognized that Little Freddie had been through a lot and probably still wasn't feeling very well, and also that it was hard to be cooped up in bed for two days when you were 8-years-old. So he was patient and understanding with him and gave him a pass, and promised him that if he were still feeling well enough tomorrow, he could get up and play. Freddie kept him company in bed and played with him, and Little Freddie remained fever and nausea free throughout the day.

The next morning, Freddie took his temperature one last time, which was normal, and since he had been well for a complete 24 hours, Freddie declared him well enough to get out of bed. And the next day Freddie decided he was fit enough to leave the house. If Freddie went out alone he generally felt safe with just his driver Terry or Phoebe, but if his children were involved Terry, Phoebe, and Liza (Joe) always came for extra protection. And thankfully the fans had come to understand that Freddie did not sign autographs or stand for photographs when he was with his children. So he and Little Freddie were able to go out and have a good time. Each day for the rest of the week they went somewhere fun together - The Natural History Museum, Hamleys (one of the oldest and largest toy stores in the world), the Peter Pan children's playground in Kensington Gardens, and The London Zoo.

And although they’d been through quite a harrowing last few days, seeing the smile on Little Freddie’s face made it all worth it. And he knew he would do anything for his son – face down Godzilla or King Kong, or even scarier than both of those…a suppository.


	2. Urinary Tract Infection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: There will be discussion of penises in this chapter.*
> 
> Also fyi I do not personally have a penis lol so I apologize for any errors in that department but I did the best that I could.
> 
> Also also - I have no idea if Freddie was circumcised or not, but I am assuming not, as Parsis & Zoroastrians do not practice circumcision, and also the fact that most men in India and England are not circumcised.
> 
> Having said all that, I want to say thank you very much to JohnRichardDeacon who gave me the idea for this chapter. ❤ I hope you enjoy it. :)

The next week, the week after Christmas, Freddie was at Garden Lodge when he received a phone call from Mary. She asked if he would mind coming over, and explained that Little Freddie was currently in the bathroom and was apparently having issues. She said he'd gone to the bathroom earlier and she noticed that he'd been in there for quite a long while, so she went to check on him.

"Freddie?" she knocked gently. "Are you alright in there? Is everything okay?" She cautiously opened the door to find Little Freddie sat fully clothed on the edge of the bath, holding himself.

"Mm-mm," he answered.

She immediately came over and knelt down in front of him. "What's wrong, darling?" she asked.

"I need Daddy," he said, practically in tears.

"Alright, darling, alright," she said, stroking his hair. "Can you tell Mummy what's wrong? You know you can always tell Mummy anything, hmmm? Does your pee-pee hurt?"

Little Freddie nodded his head. "I need Daddy," he said again, and Mary could tell he was in a lot of pain.

"Alright, sweetheart. Just sit tight. I'll go and phone Daddy for you, okay?" _Oh, dear God,_ Mary thought as she made her way out of the bathroom, closing the door softly behind her. _Please let Freddie be home!_ And thankfully he was. Freddie of course said he'd be right there, so after they rang off, Mary went and knocked on the bathroom door and opened it slowly. "Freddie, Daddy's coming, okay?"

"Okay," Little Freddie said, choking back tears.

Freddie walked the short distance over to Mary’s house just next door. Mary was waiting at the door, and let him in as soon as he arrived.

"Daddy!" 2-year-old Kashmira squealed, running towards him with her hair done up in adorable little pigtails.

Freddie took her in his arms. "Hey, baby," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Then he set her down. 

He and Mary walked over to the bathroom door and she knocked again. "Freddie, Daddy's here. He's going to come in now, alright?"

Freddie came inside, finding Little Freddie the same way as Mary had, still sat on the edge of the bath clutching at his crotch with tears in his eyes and clearly in a great deal of pain. He shut the door behind him, then walked over to Little Freddie.

"Hey, darling, what's wrong?" he asked.

"My pee-pee hurts," Little Freddie told him, his voice hitching. "Really bad."

"Mm," Freddie said, giving him a concerned look. "Well, come over here and wash your hands and let Daddy have a look, alright?"

So Little Freddie came over and washed his hands, and Freddie washed his hands as well. Freddie knelt down beside him, and Little Freddie lowered his jeans and boxer shorts so that he could take a look. 

"Don't touch it!" Little Freddie cried for fear of pain.

"I'm not going to touch it," Freddie assured him. From what he could see, the tip and surrounding foreskin looked very red. "Can you pull it back?" he asked.

With a gasp of pain, Little Freddie gingerly pulled back the foreskin, and the entire glans was inflamed, red, and swollen - clearly infected. All Freddie could think was _ouch_. It hurt him just looking at it.

"Does it hurt when you go pee-pee?" Freddie asked, even though he honestly didn't see how it possibly couldn't.

Little Freddie nodded his head.

Freddie stood up. "Alright, darling, it's okay. Everything's going to be alright. I'm just going to go talk to Mummy for a minute, and then I'll be right back, alright?"

Freddie came out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him and Mary could see from the look on his face that something was wrong.

"Right. He's got an infection. We've got to get him in to the paediatrician straightway," he said, and he told her about it, and Mary started to put two and two together. She told Freddie that earlier in the week she'd noticed Little Freddie with his hand down his trousers several times. But when she'd asked him if he was alright, he'd instantly stopped and said he was fine. So it wasn't immediately apparent if there was a problem or if he was just adjusting or scratching or playing with himself. Mary highly doubted the latter because they'd already gone over that when Little Freddie was about six-and-a-half and had, ahem, "discovered himself", and they couldn't get him to keep his hand out of his trousers. Not in any sort of sexual way, of course, as he was only six-years-old; he just knew it felt good to touch down there. So Freddie had had a man-to-man talk with him and gently explained to him that he knew it felt good to do that, and that it was perfectly acceptable to do so, but that it was something one did alone in private - either in the bathroom or in his bedroom with the door closed, and they'd had no more issues since then. But that had been two years ago, and perhaps it was time for a little reminder chat, so Mary had been going to bring it up with Freddie this coming Saturday when it was his week to keep the children. But now she realized that the reason was that Little Freddie had been developing a UTI and it was probably very uncomfortable - hence the hand down his trousers. She also told him that this morning Little Freddie had felt warm, so she measured his temperature, and he was running a low-grade fever. She'd asked him if he felt bad, but he'd denied it, so she'd just given him some Calpol and let him go play.

It was decided that Freddie would be the one to take Little Freddie to the paediatrician, and also he thought Little Freddie might appreciate seeing a male physician this time. It wasn't that he didn't think Dr. Patel capable of handling the problem. Quite the contrary, he had complete confidence in her abilities as Little Freddie's paediatrician, and thought she'd done an excellent job taking care of him when he had the stomach flu. But he just thought that for this particular issue, Little Freddie might feel more comfortable seeing a doctor of the same sex - someone who had all the same er...equipment, as it were. But it all turned out alright because when Mary called the surgery, Dr. Patel was out on holiday anyway and one of her partners, Dr. Khan (a man), was seeing her patients for her while she was away. And they arranged for Little Freddie to be seen right away.

So, Freddie went back into the bathroom to talk to Little Freddie about everything. And also to explain to him that it was probably going to be necessary for Dr. Khan to look at and touch his private area, but that it was okay because he was a doctor and Freddie would be with him the entire time. But that it was never okay for anybody except for Mummy, Daddy, or a doctor to look at or touch his bottom or private area, and that even a doctor should never do so unless Mummy or Daddy were with him. And that if someone ever tried to look at or touch his bottom or private area, or tried to get him to look at or touch theirs, he was to say, "NO!" in a loud voice and immediately go tell the nearest adult - a teacher or Mummy or Daddy or even a policeman if necessary. Even if the person told him it was a secret, or that he would get in trouble if he told. Because he would never get in trouble for telling something like that. And Freddie said, _did he understand?_ And Little Freddie said yes. It was a talk he and Mary had had with him many times before, ever since Little Freddie was very little, but something well worth going over again and again with young children.

But what Little Freddie was most concerned with was whether or not he was going to get a shot. Freddie answered him honestly and told him he wasn't sure, but that even if he did have to get a shot, he should remember how brave he'd been the last time, and also that if it hurt, it would only be just for a little while.

Afterwards, Freddie and Little Freddie went over to Garden Lodge so that his driver, Terry, could take them to the paediatric surgery. When they arrived, they went in the back door as always. Sometimes Freddie thought it very unfair that his fame should also affect his children; sometimes it felt like punishing the son for the sins of the father. But on the other hand, it was his fame that allowed him to take care of his children, and give them opportunities that most children would never know.

Once they were in an exam room, a nurse came in take Little Freddie's vitals (temperature, pulse, and blood pressure). And a few minutes later, Dr. Khan, a very kind middle-aged gentleman from Pakistan, came in. He shook Freddie's hand, then turned to Little Freddie.

"Hello, Freddie. I'm Dr. Khan," he introduced himself, shaking Little Freddie's hand. Then he moved the little rolling exam stool close, and sat down. "So what seems to be the trouble today, my friend?"

"My pee-pee hurts," Little Freddie told him.

"How much does it hurt? Just a little bit or a lot?" Dr. Khan asked.

"A lot," Little Freddie said.

Dr. Khan nodded, writing on the paper on his clipboard. "How long has it been hurting, Freddie? Can you remember the first day it started hurting?" 

He discovered that Little Freddie's symptoms had started about a week ago, but hadn't started hurting until about 3 days ago, but today it had started hurting "really bad". 

"What about when you go to the toilet to have a wee, Freddie? Does it hurt then?"

Little Freddie nodded his head.

"And does that hurt a little bit or a lot?"

"A lot," Little Freddie answered.

"What kind of pain is it? Is it like a burning, stinging sort of pain?"

Little Freddie nodded his head again.

"Okay, and are you hurting anywhere else?" Dr. Khan asked.

"My tummy," Little Freddie said, putting his hand over his lower abdomen.

Dr. Khan stood up. "And what about back here in your back?" Dr. Khan asked, placing his hand on Little Freddie's back over his kidneys. 

"Mm-mm," Little Freddie said.

"Alright, lie back for me, Freddie," Dr. Khan said, helping Little Freddie to lie back on the examination table. He pulled up his shirt to palpitate his abdomen. "I'm just going to press on your tummy now, and you tell me if it hurts, okay?" He pressed and felt all over his belly, but his pain seemed to be localized to the bladder area. He put Little Freddie's shirt back down, and helped him to sit up.

"Alright, Freddie, so what I'd like to do now-" he said, as he went over to the sink to wash his hands and put on examination gloves. "-is to have a quick look at your private area. Is that okay?"

Little Freddie looked over at his father.

"It's okay," Freddie told him.

So Little Freddie slid off the examination table, and Dr. Khan came to sit near him on the little rolling stool. Then Little Freddie took down his jeans and boxer shorts. Dr. Khan examined the area carefully, being as gentle as possible, but Little Freddie still flinched in pain when he touched the area.

"I'm sorry, Freddie," Dr. Khan apologized. "I know it must really hurt. Can you pull back your foreskin for me?"

Little Freddie did so, once again with considerable pain. Dr. Khan looked closely at the area. 

"Freddie, I know it hurts, but does it itch as well?" Dr. Khan asked.

Little Freddie nodded his head.

"Okay, Freddie, what I'm going to do now-" Dr. Khan told him, rolling over to retrieve a slender tube from near the sink. He opened it, and removed a cotton swab. "-is take this little cotton swab, and roll it over the tip of your penis, alright?"

Little Freddie nodded again.

"It may hurt, but it'll just be for one second." Dr. Khan did the procedure, and Little Freddie hissed in pain. But just like that it was already over, and Dr. Khan put the swab back into the little tube to send to the lab. He took one last look at the area, the told Little Freddie he could get dressed. Next he ordered a urinalysis and urine culture, so a nurse came in shortly and handed Little Freddie a little plastic cup.

"Alright, sweetheart, I just need you to go into the loo here and tinkle in this little cup for me. Then we'll send it off to our lab to see what sort of germs you have in your wee that are making you sick," she explained gently.

While Little Freddie was doing that, Dr. Khan spoke to Freddie, and explained that Little Freddie was suffering from a condition known as - balanoposthitis, or inflammation of the glans and foreskin of the penis, and probably also a UTI as well as those two conditions seemed to go hand in hand.

"Urinary tract infections are rare in boys, but of course they do happen, for any number of reasons," Dr. Khan told him. He flipped through Little Freddie's chart. "I see here that Freddie was recently prescribed Voltaren suppositories for fever?"

"Yes, that's right," Freddie said. "That was last week when he had the stomach flu and couldn't keep anything down."

Just then Little Freddie came out of the loo, and the nurse took the little plastic cup from his hand. But all he'd heard were the words "Voltaren suppositories for fever".

"Nooo!" he started to cry. He most definitely didn't want any more of those!

Dr. Khan looked around at him. "Don't worry, Freddie," he said with a chuckle. "I won't be prescribing you any more of those today." Freddie sighed a silent breath of relief as well when he heard him say that. "The reason I ask-" Dr. Khan turned back to Freddie. "-is because Voltaren has been known to cause urinary tract infections in anywhere between 1-10% of patients, so if Freddie's symptoms started a week ago, it could very well be the culprit." And he told Freddie that he would note that in Little Freddie's chart for future reference when prescribing him medication. "Undiagnosed diabetes is also another common cause. Not that I think Freddie has diabetes, mind you. He seems like a very healthy young boy. But just to be safe, I'd like to rule it out, so a nurse will be along in a bit to do a finger stick test. But it could just as well have been caused by something else - even something as simple as a change in soap or laundry detergent," he explained. "So I'll send you home with some information on the common causes of UTI and tips to prevent them in the future that you can go over with Freddie and his mum."

Little Freddie came over and Dr. Khan lifted him back up to sit on the examination table. "No, it's only fun medicines for you today, my friend," he said. Little Freddie looked at him skeptically. _How could taking medicine be fun?_ But Dr. Khan showed him the prescription pad. "This one-" he said, pointing to where he'd written liquid amoxicillin (like most children his age, Little Freddie still hadn't quite mastered the art of swallowing pills). "-tastes like bubblegum. And this one-" he pointed to the word phenazopyridine. "-tastes like cherries and it's really cool. You know why?"

Little Freddie shook his head.

"Because it turns your wee orange!" Dr. Khan and Little Freddie both laughed. Orange wee! - the most hilarious thing to an eight-year-old boy. Dr. Khan explained to Freddie that the amoxicillin was antibiotics for the infection, and the phenazopyridine was for pain relief during urination. Also that he should just continue giving him Calpol for fever. He also prescribed Little Freddie two types of creams - an antifungal and an antibacterial that he was to apply every day. Then the nurse came back in to do the finger stick test. At first Little Freddie was upset, thinking he was going to get a shot.

"Oh, no, no, sweetheart. It's not a jab," the nurse explained as she held Little Freddie's hand in hers to warm it so the blood would come out more easily. "It's just a quick tiny prick, that's all." Little Freddie wasn't convinced and tears started to come into his eyes which he swiped at with his hand, while he sat on Freddie's knee for comfort. The nurse asked Little Freddie which finger he would prefer, then cleaned it with an alcohol wipe and dried it. Then she held the lancet device to his finger. "Okay, ready? One...Two...Three." She pressed the button and a little red jewel of blood appeared on the pad of Little Freddie's finger.

"Ah!" Little Freddie cried, but by that time it was already over. He then watched with interest as the nurse held the little vial up to his finger to collect the blood. Once she had enough, she pressed a gauze pad against Little Freddie's finger to stop the bleeding, then let Little Freddie pick out a plaster which she wrapped around his finger. And for being so brave during his exam and finger stick, Little Freddie was given a lolly and allowed to pick out a prize from the treasure chest. This time he selected a little green army man.

"It was very nice to meet you, Freddie," Dr. Khan said, shaking his and Freddie's hands. "And I hope you feel better soon, my friend."

Afterwards, before going home, Freddie took him for ice cream as a reward. And despite his condition, Little Freddie was happy as a clam. He didn't have to get a shot, and he got to take his medicine by mouth this time instead of up the other way. It was the little things in life…

*******

When they got back to Garden Lodge, Freddie asked Phoebe if he would mind going to the chemist to collect Little Freddie's medication, which Phoebe was more than happy to do, even if it hadn't been his job. He and Joe had been working for Freddie since Little Freddie was very small, and they loved both he and Kashmira as if they were their own, and would do anything for them.

Then Freddie and Little Freddie walked back over to Mary's house. Mary spoke to Little Freddie sweetly and asked him how it had gone at the doctor's. He told her about meeting Dr. Khan and the finger stick, and showed her the little green army man he'd picked out. And about the medicine that would turn his wee orange! Mary laughed with him and praised him for a job well done being so brave at the doctor's. Then he went off to play, and Freddie told her all about it and what Dr. Khan had said. Then they looked at the sheet of paper together that Dr. Khan had given Freddie with the information on the common causes of UTI and tips to prevent them. And they both agreed that perhaps it would be best to switch Little Freddie to a hypoallergenic soap and laundry detergent without any perfumes or dyes.

Phoebe arrived shortly with Little Freddie's medication which be brought over to Mary's house for them. And Mary wasted no time in calling Little Freddie into the kitchen straightway and giving him his first dose of the amoxicillin and phenazopyridine, and some more Calpol as well.

Then Freddie took Little Freddie into the bathroom to instruct him on how he was to apply the antibiotic and antifungal creams to himself each day. And he went over some of the other things on the sheet of paper, things he'd already taught Little Freddie before, but thought it very important to go over again. Things like, that he should never hold his wee.

"I know we don't want to stop having fun or playing sometimes to go to the toilet," Freddie said. But he explained that holding his wee could cause an infection, and that he should always go to the toilet as soon as he felt the need. He should always remember to wash his hands before and after using the toilet or touching himself down there. And that when he did take a wee, he needed to be sure to pull his foreskin back first before beginning to urinate. Also that each day when he took a bath or shower, he needed to pull his foreskin back as far as he could and wash thoroughly underneath. And lastly, that if his underpants were to get wet for some reason, like sweating or after swimming in the pool, he should immediately change into a dry pair otherwise he could get chafed down there.

"And trust me, you do not want that," Freddie told him from personal experience, which is why he himself always had Phoebe waiting with a dry pair for him to change into after coming off stage, having sweated so much during the shows.

After they finished up in the bathroom, Little Freddie went off to play again. If there was one thing Freddie had learned these past two weeks taking care of Little Freddie, it was that being a parent wasn't easy, but the love he gave and received from his children made it all worthwhile.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and for all the kind comments, kudos, and support. It means a lot to me and I really appreciate it. I hope you've enjoyed it. :)

**Author's Note:**

> I would really appreciate no criticism (constructive or otherwise), or negativity in the comments section, please. This is just my hobby that I do for fun. Thank you! :)
> 
> ***DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Any semblance between original characters and real persons, living or dead, is coincidental. The author in no way represents the companies, corporations, or brands mentioned in this work. The likeness of historical/famous figures have been used fictitiously; the author does not speak for or represent these people. All opinions expressed in this work are the author’s, or fictional.***


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